Abstract
We examined a mediational model of the interrelationship of drug use, sexual risk, and impulsivity in a sample of young adults (N = 89), of which almost half displayed highly disruptive behaviors as children. We chose a mediational model given the emerging evidence that impulsivity is an underlying risk factor for many youth health risk problems, including sexual risk behaviors. The findings supported a partial mediational model in that the three target variables were significantly related to one another, yet the association of drug use and sexual risk was significantly reduced (although not to zero) when controlled by impulsivity. The findings support the view that the association of drug use and sexual risk behaviors is partially mediated by impulsivity, as well as the broader theory that youths with deficits in self-regulatory behavioral systems confer a greater likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors. Study implications and limitations are discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 43-56 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2009 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors wish to thank Paul Young and Elizabeth Rahdert, PhD, NOVA Research Company, for their assistance with this project. This study was supported by National Institute on Drug Abuse grants DA12995, DA14717, and K02 DA15347. Address correspondence to Ken C. Winters, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, F282/2A West, 2450 Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA. E-mail: winte001@umn.edu
Keywords
- Adolescent sexual risk
- Drug abuse
- Impulsivity
